-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Republican Senate primary in Mississippi had long been in the spotlight over nasty politics , but events just prior , during and now after the vote have placed the race in its own unusual category .

Thad Cochran and state Sen. Chris McDaniel squared off months ago in what was viewed as a potential bellwether between the larger fight taking place nationally between the arch conservative tea party and establishment Republicans .

It was cast as youth and fresh ideas against veteran incumbency and politics as usual . Spending was up , ads were intense , and the vote was expected to be close . The general election was considered pro forma in the reliably Republican state . This primary would decide who would go to Washington .

But late in the game , things took a bizarre turn and have gotten more complicated since the June 3 primary resulted in a runoff , which Cochran won three weeks later .

Here are the five most unusual moments :

1 . Dirty tricks : In May , three tea party supporters and apparent allies of McDaniel were arrested for conspiring to photograph Cochran 's bedridden wife in a hospice in an apparent case of political dirty tricks .

Rose Cochran suffers from dementia and has lived in a nursing home for 14 years . The photo of her surfaced in a political attack ad on YouTube that aimed to smear Cochran , The Mississippi Clarion-Ledger reported .

McDaniel 's campaign denied any connection to the matter .

Then , after the runoff , one of those charged with conspiracy in the photo scandal , Mark Mayfield , died in an apparent suicide at his home . It remains under investigation .

2 . Crying foul : Separated by less than 1,500 votes following the primary with McDaniel ahead , the two then turned their attention to a runoff won by Cochran with a narrow , but more comfortable margin of nearly 7,000 votes .

McDaniel has cried foul and wo n't concede .

He furiously contends nearly 5,000 votes should be discounted due to alleged fraud after Cochran and his allies courted African-Americans and other traditional Democrats to push him over the finish line in the crossover tally .

McDaniel camp gathers evidence as it prepares legal challenge

And they 're still counting .

McDaniel 's campaign and its tea party supporters are making the rounds of all 82 counties to look into voting records and still have a dozen stops to make .

3 . $ 1,000 Reward : On Thursday , McDaniel 's campaign announced $ 1,000 rewards for evidence of voter fraud .

But there 's a catch , evidence must lead to `` the arrest and conviction '' of those involved in any fraud and will be awarded to up to 15 instances .

McDaniel 's campaign is fundraising for its legal fund , which will underwrite the bounty .

Two allegations may shed some light as to why McDaniel called the runoff a `` sham '' in a recent email to supporters .

Steve Fielder , a pastor in Mississippi , alleged the Cochran campaign was offering $ 15 for voters to support Cochran at the polls . Fielder made the claims in a paid interview with an independent filmmaker .

Another allegation comes from a more official source : the election coordinator for Hinds County Democratic Party official .

Claude McInnis , alleged that the chairman of the county 's Republican Party worked with McInnis to allow voters who had voted for a Democrat in the primary to cast a ballot in the runoff -- which is illegal . McInnis told Breitbart News that he 'd `` guess '' about 3,000 votes in Hinds County should be obviated .

4 . Call-in crashers : Critics of Cochran 's election strategy crashed a call with reporters on Tuesday .

Charles Johnson , a political blogger critical of Cochran 's campaign , apparently obtained and subsequently tweeted out the call 's dial-in code to his nearly 6,000 followers .

Cacophony ensued when at least one caller repeatedly interrupted campaign spokesman Austin Barbour with a question :

`` Since black people harvested cotton , why is it OK to harvest their votes ? Why is it OK to harvest the votes of black people ? '' the caller said .

Barbour offered to answer the anonymous caller 's questions along with reporters ' inquiries at the end of the call , but the call hijacker persisted .

Just hours before , Barbour slammed the McDaniel campaign during a press conference , urging his opponents to `` put up or shut up '' with their accusations of voter fraud .

5 . Lawsuit : True the Vote , a conservative election watchdog , filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court against the Mississippi secretary of state and the state 's Republican party calling for full , unrestricted access to voting records .

The state GOP chairman , Joe Nosef , said in a statement that True the Vote 's lawsuit is based on a `` misunderstanding of both Mississippi law '' and the state party 's role in the election .

Logan Churchwell , True the Vote 's spokesman , said the `` lawsuit is filed the way it is '' and the group has no plans to remove the Mississippi GOP from the receiving end of the suit .

Churchwell said the state party was included because of the `` shared responsibility '' between state officials and the state 's Republican party .

`` We 're not singling them out , '' Churchwell said .

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McDaniel 's campaign is offering a $ 1,000 reward for evidence of voter fraud

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Allegations of $ 15 vote-buying , thousands of illegitimate Democratic votes in a single county

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At least one anonymous caller crashed a Cochran campaign conference call with reporters

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The Mississippi GOP says it has been wrongly involved in a federal lawsuit